Fortnite Sidekicks publish live for UEFN creators on July 23

Epic says Fortnite Sidekicks are now available as scriptable NPCs in UEFN, and creators can publish islands starting July 23. The company says the feature supports creature-based games such as monster battlers, cozy farming games, creature-collection RPGs, and companion adventures. Epic’s announcement frames Sidekicks as a new building block for creator-made experiences.

The update also says these islands will be eligible for a new creature-based Collection page in Discover, plus additional featuring through Epic’s Picks and a Creature Callout. That makes the launch not just a tool release, but a distribution change for creators building around the new system. Announcement

What creators can do

• Customize Sidekick appearance and behavior in UEFN.
• Use Verse to script companion behavior.
• Animate Sidekicks with the same tools used for internal Epic workflows, according to the v41.20 release notes.
• Build islands around creature-driven genres that can now get Discover placement support.

Epic’s v41.20 ecosystem notes also say the first wave of Sidekick Control Rigs has arrived in UEFN, letting creators animate Sidekicks with internal rig structures. The same release notes say creature-based games are taking the spotlight in Discover with a dedicated collection. Release notes

For IslandAtlas readers, the important takeaway is timing: July 23 is the first day publishing opens for this Sidekick-focused creator lane, and Epic is clearly linking the tool release to Discover exposure. Epic announcement